Jon, I, and Sarah Bear just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We hope it is a blessed occasion, and that you get to spend lots of time with the ones you love, relax, and enjoy! Be blessed! Check back in with everyone on Monday! Oh yeah, and Happy Shopping! xoxox -The Whittens

What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for:
1. God's never ending love, his grace, and mercy. He loves us always, and he has a plan for us. I am thankful that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that we can freely worship him!
2. The United States of America. I am so thankful we live in a free country where we can live our lives freely. I am thankful for the men and women who sacrifice their lives, and the families that support them so we can be free and safe here in America! God Bless!
3. Mr. Jonathan Whitten, my beloved. When he came into my life I knew there was something different about him. It did not take me long to realize that I loved him, and that he was the man that God had created for me. He loves me, cares for me, provides for me, protects me, he makes me feel beautiful and special, and the list could go on and on. Jon treats me like a princess! He has my heart, and I feel so blessed to have him in my life. He IS my best friend.
4. My family! Man on man, where would I be without the love and support of my family. I have a large family, and each and every one of them has touched my life in some way or another. They have all been there at different times to pick me up when I fell, to love me when I felt unloved, to encourage me when I couldn't encourage myself, to lovingly point me in the right direction if I was heading down the wrong road. We have all shared life's ups and downs together, we have cried together, laughed until our sides hurt together, mourned and celebrated together. When you feel like you have no one you always have family! Friends do come and go, but family...that is forever! I love all of you guys...each and every last one of you!
5. Friends....new and old. Life is so much better with good friends. Someone to share life with. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends, and that I get to share in their lives. I love them...and they love me.
6. My church. I am thankful for Life Church Birmingham. They have accepted Jon and I. We are home there. They have welcomed us as family, and we are so blessed to have a wonderful pastor who loves God and loves his sheep! We have fun there, we are ministered to there, and we feel like we belong there!
7. Our jobs. Yes, sometimes I may get frustrated at my job and have a bad day. Sometimes Jon's work seems never ending, but we are so blessed to have jobs especially during this trying time in the economy. I am thankful we have steady paychecks, and we have people at our jobs who make coming to work easier. I am grateful that we have been so blessed!

Some of the other things that I am thankful for might seem trivial, but man what would like be like without it!
1. Our cars. We have one new one, and one trusty old one. Thank you Jesus for reliable cars that get us from point A to point B.
2. Our home. I am so thankful we have a roof over our head, a place to call home, a bed to sleep in. It is such a blessing to have a place were you can escape from the world, you can make memories, and a place were you can just be a family!
3. Heat and Air Conditioner. I do not know what I would do without them. I am not a rough it kind of girl! I like to be warm and cozy in the winter, and cool and comfortable in the summer. Bless the man who thought them up!
4. Sarah! Our dog/baby Sarah Bear is such a blessing. She keeps me company when Jon is away, and she brings us some much joy. You can ask my sister...my nephews...brothers...whoever, they will tell you that I have never been an animal person! I have always been annoyed by them, so when Jon got Sarah, I will nervous. I was not sure I would like the idea of having a dog, and having to be responsible for one. Then there was the thought of "what if she bites me". Well, Sarah came into our home, and she captured my heart. We rescued Sarah form the pound in Auburn. She seemed like she might have been abused. Sarah was shy at first, but she came around, she loved on us, and we loved her back. In some odd way, Sarah Bear has taught me about myself...
5. Seafood, Pizza, Pasta, and Diet Coke/Diet Mt.Dew! These things are all my favorites...oh and lets not forget about chocolate! I am just plain ole' thankful for these foods. They are yummy!
6. Road Trips...I love road trips...they are fun and it is always a good time for Jon and me to spend some quality time together! Love them!
7. Old Navy, Walmart, Target, Kirkland's, and the Galleria! These are my favorite places to shop!
8. Computers, Cellphones, the Internet, IPODs, and TVs. They all provide me with entertainment...they are good ways to stay in touch...thank goodness for technology.

I could go on and on, but I just wanted to note some of the things I am thankful for. It is important during the holiday season that we count our blessing, acknowledge how blessed we are, and offer thanks for everything!
Lastly...I just want to say that I am thankful that we can dream....I like to dream about the future, and I am so honestly thankful for that ability! The dream of where we are going, and the memories of where we have been...two things I never want to take for granted, but I could not imagine living without!
I wish you the best, and many of God's bountiful blessings this Thanksgiving! BE BLESSED...xoxo The Whittens!

What are you thankful for?

Hey ALL! Thanksgiving is only 9 days away!
In honor of Thanksgiving I want to know what you are thankful for!
I will post my list tomorrow, I am still compiling. Please share your list with me.

On a different subject...Jon Jon is sick with the crud! He has been dealing with it since Sunday, it is getting worse. He went to the doctor today, but they told him it would be a 3 hour wait. So I hope he gets better real soon!

Another baby....

Well, Jon got a phone call while he was at work today from his good friend Joel. He told Jon he had some exciting news....HE IS GOING OT BE A DADDY!

Joel and his wife Amber are pregnant with their first baby. She is due around the first of June.

Jon and I were shocked, but happy for them. I have not talked to Amber, but Jon said Joel was super excited.

That means I have a best friend (Tiffany) who is pregnant and due in April, and he has a best friend whose wife is pregnant and due in June. We have one couple we are friends with that have a six year old. Our number of friends with children or who will soon been having a baby is growing steadily!

What is really fun is that Tiffany and Tim were married in April of 07' and their baby is due that month in 09', and Joel and Amber were married in June of 07' and their baby is due that month in 09'! Crazy huh? I don't think I would want to have a baby the same month as my anniversary! But, Jon and I are not at that stage yet so we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Looks like Jon Jon and I are going to be doing some baby shopping! Oh, and I have a friend here at work who is pregnant too! LOL Babies, babies everywhere!

The Verdict is in: YUMMY

• First, I made my Coconut Shrimp last night and I just want to report that they were so yummy and delicious! Amazing! Jon said I now have he ok to cook them anytime I wish! I told you guys I would let you know what I thought and I think they are stinkin amazing. Try them...if you like that kind of thing!
• I think Jon and I might (that is a huge MIGHT) try to put up our tree this weekend so we can get our Christmas picture made with our baby for our Christmas cards. Jon wants to do photo cards this year so we can show everyone our baby.
• We are going up to see my mom tomorrow and then tomorrow night we are grilling our at our friends Janna and Michael (we will be watching the Bama game).
• Sunday after church I figure we will be doing our usual...riding around looking at houses! LOL
• I am going to be trying a few new recipes this weekend. I going to make Hungry Girl's Cheesecake swirl brownies and WW's turkey bean dip. So if either are note worthy I will let you all know.
• Jon Jon is working until 9 tonight, so I am not sure what I am going to do. I know I need to run to Walmart, and I have to get us something for supper. Jon wants me to come up there with him at the CVS and keep him company. If I just had my tree up I could do my photo cards!LOL I might have to do some shopping though.
• We hope everyone has a great weekend, and I can't wait to read all about "yalls" weekends on Monday. xoxoxo-Lisa

21 days until vacation

Yummy goodness!

Ok, so I am a huge fan of seafood. One of my favorite things is shrimp, especially coconut shrimp. So I got a new cookbook at my meeting last night, and guess what? It has a recipe for coconut shrimp! YES! Yum!
So today I of course had to rush out and purchase all of the ingredients and I am making it for us tonight for dinner. Yea! Publix has shrimp on sale! (If it is really good we may have to have them again before the sale ends.) I am also making a Pina Coloda dipping sauce that is suppose to actually be the one for the Red Lobster sauce. OOOOOHHH so gooooood!

I wanted to include the recipe since I am gushing about it, and of course tomorrow I will let you know exactly how delicious they were. Man, I love shrimp!

Coconut Shrimp:

1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
24 medium peeled and deveined, tails left on shrimp
1/2 cup flaked coconut, chopped
1/4 cup cornflake crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degree. Spray a 10x15 inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together the milk and flour in a large bowl. Add the shrimp; toss to coat.
3. Place the coconut and cornflakes crumbs in a large zip-close plastic bag. Add the shrimp, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. Place the shrimp in the jelly-roll pan in one layer. Spray the shrimp lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until golden on the outside and opaque in the center, about 5 minutes on each side.

(If you can not find cornflake crumbs, you can make your own by placing cornflakes in a zip close plastic bag and then finely crashing them with a rolling pine. Before you chop the coconut, spray the knife with nonstick spray to keep the coconut from sticking as you chop.)

For six shrimp it is only 150 calories!!!!

22 days until I go on vacation!!!!

Holiday Plans

Hey there!

Jon and I have finally finalized our holiday plans for Thanksgiving. Good times. We are going to leave for Gordo on Thanksgiving morning and head to my Grandma's in Northport. Then we will go to my Dad's to hangout for a bit. Jon and I will be heading back to Birmingham for Thanksgiving night. We will more than likely have Thanksgiving dinner at Pam and Grandma's that night. Finally we will end our night in the comfort of our own home wrapped in each others arms giving thanks for such a terrific year!
I am so incredibly excited to see most of my family, but I am also looking forward to a peaceful end to the day with my sweet husband.

Jon and I have decided that for this year we just wanted to have a peaceful, non-stressful holiday season. We want to make it about our family, not just traveling from one place to another and so on. We want to enjoy each other this year, and lets not forget we want to celebrate the holidays with our baby too. We do not have an actual child, but we have a dog who thinks she is our baby and in our opinion she is! (I found a shirt I want to get her for Christmas that says "Mommy's little girl"...how precious is that?)

The day after Thanksgiving I will be going shopping here in Birmingham for the first time. I usually go in Tuscaloosa, so we will see how that goes. Maybe if I get REAL bold I will head to the Galleria. Jon has to work the day after Thanksgiving, and he is not sure about Saturday (the Alabama/Auburn game). I would think he would not have too, but we will see. I am really just looking forward to relaxing at home; silly I know.

We still do not have all of our Christmas plans finalized, but we are working on it (should be different than most years).

I have started my count down until I head to Nashville for Christmas: 23 days. I absolutely can not wait!

My Favorite Things Swap

Hey Guys! So I participated in the "My Favorite Things Swap" that was Jamie's idea. She put the whole thing together. We just had to send her our address if we wanted to participate, and then she paired us up with a "new friend", my new friend is Kelly (hey Kelly). Our mission was to think up of at least 3 of our favorite things, put them in a box for our new friend to enjoy, and then send it to them (staying under a $20 limit). It was a lot of fun getting all of the things together, but it was even more fun getting your package from your friend in the mail. SO. Much. Fun!
So...I included a few of favorite things in my box to Kelly. I put 1. a bottle of Bath and Body Country Apple hand soap (I am addicted to B&B), 2. cookies from Edgar's bakery (my absolute fave), 3. a cookbook (I like to cook), 4. Fettuccine Alfredo pasta sides (I heart pasta), 5. a pack of designed note cards (I love sending and receiving cards).
Kelly sent me a really fun box. Her box to me included her favorite office sweet tooth snacks. She sent me a box of popcorn, a box of 100 calorie sour patch kids (YUMMY), packs of Stride gum, and a Starbucks gift card! Exciting! I was so happy when I got home to see my little box sitting on doorstep. Just ask Jon! I opened it immedatly. He laughed because I was like a kid at Christmas.

It was great getting to know Kelly, who is one of Jamie's best friends. She seems really nice, and I just might get to meet her. She invited Jon and I to her church in Alabaster to see their Christmas play. We think it would be a lot fun to see so Kelly is suppose to remind me. Who knows? I may go a visiting! The whole process was good times. Thanks Kelly for being my new friend, thanks Jamie for letting me participate with all of the good times, and THANKS TO CRYSTAL (PINK LUCY: Check it out...it is a rather addicting blog) without whom I would have never met the above people! Have a great night! oxox-Lisa

Off...for a long weekend!

Hey guys, I am leaving in a few minutes for a long weekend. I am going to hangout with my husband and enjoy some time together. This week has been crazy busy, and we honestly have not really seen each other since Monday. I think we may head to Homestead Hollow or Christmas Village. I hope everyone has a great one, and be safe!!!

I am still gathering my thoughts on the outcome of the election. I am going to pray hard for our new president-elect, and our country. God is in control! I put my trust in him! Amen!

oxoxo-Lisa

GO VOTE!!!